Afghanistan: Women

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the safety and security of Afghan women, in particular of the effectiveness of the implementation of legislation on the elimination of violence against women in Afghanistan.

Baroness Warsi: Implementation of the Afghan Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law was specifically included in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), agreed at the 2012 Tokyo Development Conference. The Joint Coordination Monitoring Board, attended by Afghan and international officials, as well as Presidential candidates, took place on 29 January and was an important milestone for both assessing progress against the TMAF, including the EVAW law, and identifying forward looking priorities for the next Afghan Government. A report on the implementation of the EVAW law is currently being prepared by the Government of Afghanistan. The UK will co-chair the Ministerial review against the TMAF, which will take place three to six months after the formation of the new government this year, and will have a key role in ensuring that commitments made are met.
	The position of women in Afghan society has improved over the past 10 years but Afghanistan is still one of the worst countries in the world to be a woman, and the hard won gains made are fragile. The UN Mission to Afghanistan conducts an annual assessment of implementation of the EVAW law. Their report in December last year recognised some progress has been made in the reporting of incidents but that prosecutions and convictions remain low. In our work with Afghan ministries and institutions we continue to mainstream gender issues. We are increasing the awareness and accountability of Afghan police on the protection of women’s rights so they are better protected during everyday life. We are also working to support women’s inclusion in the security forces by providing training for female officer recruits at Afghanistan’s National Officer Academy. In addition, the Department for International Department's (DFID) future support to the Ministry of Interior will focus more strongly on promoting the role of women in policing and on the capability of the police to increase awareness of, and enforce, the EVAW Law. DFID’s new £3m programme to strengthen women’s access to justice in up to six provinces will include training formal and community-based justice sector actors on the EVAW law.

Armed Forces: Medals

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for the Bomber Command clasp remain outstanding.

Lord Astor of Hever: As at 31 January 2014 some 4,600 Bomber Command clasp applications are outstanding, the majority of which are from Next of Kin. All applications from Veterans and Widows are up to date.

Aviation: Air Passenger Duty

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn from the Caribbean Council's analysis of the impact of current banding levels of Air Passenger Duty (APD) on tourism to the Caribbean; and whether they intend to bring forward proposals to Parliament to equalise APD banding levels with the United States of America.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place between ministers and officials attending the last and preceding Commonwealth Finance Ministers' meeting on the impact of the current banding of Air Passenger Duty on the Commonwealth states of the Caribbean.

Lord Deighton: The Government welcomes engagement with the Caribbean Council on Air Passenger Duty (APD). The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review. The Government maintains a dialogue with its Commonwealth partners on a range of issues. The Commonwealth Secretariat publishes the communiqués of Finance Ministers meetings on its website. This can be found at http://secretariat. thecommonwealth.org.

Benefits

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review the fairness of awards of Employment and Support Allowance.

Lord Freud: We are committed to ensuring the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses people fairly. This is why it is subject to continuous review and refinement. The WCA and supporting processes are constantly evolving and we are committed to making changes where necessary, as
	evidenced by our independent reviews. This includes three statutory independent reviews by Professor Harrington (published November 2010, 2011 and 2012) and Dr Litchfield’s review which was published December 2013. The Department will be responding to Dr Litchfield’s recommendations in the first quarter of 2014. We will shortly be running the 5th review.
	In addition an Evidence Based Review was established to examine the performance of the current WCA descriptors and alternative descriptors proposed by a group of disability representative organisations. The review focused on the validity and consistency of assessment results. The final findings were published at the end of 2013.
	Since 2010 when we inherited Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), the Department has continually improved the WCA for claimants. For example with regards to those suffering from cancer: we have twice changed the provisions which determine eligibility for ESA for cancer sufferers, most recently in January 2013 following extensive work with Macmillan Cancer Support.

Benefits: Crisis Loan

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was advanced nationally by way of Crisis Loans in the last year before the system was changed and the Social Fund was localised.

Lord Freud: The total expenditure on Crisis Loans in 2012/13 has been published in the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund 2012 to 2013 (Annex 1). This is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-by-the-secretary-of-state-for-work-and-pensions-on-the-social-fund-2012-to-2013

Britons Living and Working Abroad

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 22 January (WA 120–1), what is their estimate of (1) the number of United Kingdom citizens living abroad in each European Union member state apart from Croatia, and (2) the number of United Kingdom citizens living abroad in each European Union member state apart from Croatia and claiming a United Kingdom state pension, in 2010 or any other year since 2000 for which figures are available.

Baroness Warsi: The most recent figures we have are taken from a 2010 report which was
	commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Consular Directorate. These figures are estimates of the number of United Kingdom citizens living abroad (including for part of a year). We also have 2010 figures for those living abroad and drawing a UK pension. We do not have a further breakdown of figures for those working abroad, or for those who have retired and are not drawing a UK pension. • Total number of UK citizens living abroad in EU Member States in 2010 (estimate): 2,197,800• Total number of UK citizens living abroad in EU Member States and claiming a UK state pension in 2010: 395,450.• Numbers for each EU Member State, excluding Croatia:
	
		
			 EU Member State UK Citizens living in MS (estimate - including for part of the year) Number of UK Citizens claiming a UK pension 
			 Austria 7,000 5,140 
			 Belgium 31,000 4,620 
			 Bulgaria 18,000 420 
			 Cyprus 65,000 16,450 
			 Czech Republic 7,000 290 
			 Denmark 12,000 2,170 
			 Estonia 700 40 
			 Finland 4,000 820 
			 France 330,000 50,000 
			 Germany 107,000 35,630 
			 Greece 45,000 4,720 
			 Hungary 5,000 810 
			 Ireland 329,000 113,710 
			 Italy 37,000 36,480 
			 Latvia 400 120 
			 Lithuania 300 70 
			 Luxembourg 8,000 330 
			 Malta 11,000 4,650 
			 Netherlands 48,000 9,090 
			 Poland 6,000 1,400 
			 Portugal 39,000 8,220 
			 Romania 7,000 60 
			 Slovakia 1,000 40 
			 Slovenia 4,000 160 
			 Spain 1,050,000 96,990 
			 Sweden 29,000 3,020 
			 TOTAL 2,197,800 395,450

Britons Living and Working Abroad

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 22 January (WA 120–1), what methodology was used to arrive at the estimate of the total number of United Kingdom citizens living abroad in European Union member states and the total number claiming a United Kingdom state pension.

Baroness Warsi: The research commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was carried out within individual countries by researchers for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The methodology as set out in detail in the report ‘Global Brit’ was based (in summary) on the following:
	• Census or survey information made available officially by host governments. When necessary these were up-rated in line with rates of growth or decline. • In countries with a high evidence of non-registration (e.g. France, Spain and Portugal) the census data was supplemented by official government estimates of the levels of non registration. • All figures were further supplemented by: Growth in numbers of UK passports issued to residents of these countries and increases in the numbers of UK pensioners resident in these countries (information available from UK Government sources) and local Consular data in-country. Additional research was conducted with expatriate media in-country and Diaspora groups.

Child Maintenance

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated fee revenue the Department for Work and Pensions expects to receive between 2014–15 and 2017–18 from parents whose Child Support Agency cases are closed during that period, and who then transfer to the Child Maintenance Service.

Lord Freud: The Impact Assessment for case closure and the introduction of charging sets out the costs and benefits of introducing those specific measures on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as well as on other government Departments and on third parties such as parents and employers.
	The Impact assessment included an estimate of fee revenues over the period from 2014/15 to 2017/18 of £369m based on total 2012 scheme caseload which is a mixture of
	New client applications, Clients on an existing scheme whose case has been closed and who use the 2012 scheme.
	Our estimated split of fee revenues between the aggregate flow of new clients and former CSA clients between 2014/15 and 2017/18 is 45% for the former and 55% for the latter. This would indicate that around £203m will result from former CSA clients choosing to apply to 2012 who are not able to maintain compliance directly between one parent and the other.
	The impact assessment can be seen at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259694/cm-case-closure-and-charges-regs-ia-final.pdf.
	Figures are taken from annex 4a

Children: Social Care

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to improve children's social care in the United Kingdom.

Lord Nash: The Government is taking a range of steps to improve children’s social care in England including:
	1) reforming the adoption system to eradicate unnecessary delays and find more adopters, so that more children can be placed quickly in a stable and loving home, and to improve services so that we can better support adoptive families;2) reforming residential care, strengthening regulation and fundamentally changing the inspection framework to make sure that all children’s homes are safe and secure places;3) transforming fostering services to provide additional support for foster carers and ensuring local authorities take responsibility for providing kinship carers with help and assistance;4) reforming the social work profession, improving social work education and the quality of day to day social work practice to support social workers in providing the best possible help and protection to children; 5) Reforming the child protection system, following Eileen Munro’s review of the system in 2011;6) undertaking innovative work to develop new and better interventions and ways of structuring and managing services; 7) reforming the Family Justice system to improve the experiences of children and families who go to court; and 8) intervening where there is failure to ensure that local authorities are doing enough to secure improvement.
	Children’s social care policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is overseen by the devolved administrations in those countries.

Cyprus and Northern Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any part of the United Kingdom Sovereign Territory in Cyprus subject to proposed new arrangements with the Republic of Cyprus was, prior to 1960, ever owned wholly or partly by Turkish Cypriots.

Baroness Warsi: Some areas of private land within the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) are owned by Turkish Cypriots and are therefore covered by the Arrangement on non-military development. Some of this land may have been acquired prior to 1960; however, we do not hold this information on file. The Arrangement applies equally across the SBAs.

Cyprus and Northern Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the proposed arrangement with the Republic of Cyprus relating to the United Kingdom Sovereign Territory
	has been subjected to strategic military evaluation in the light of the proposed new Russian harbour and air facilities in Southern Cyprus.

Lord Astor of Hever: The arrangement signed by HM Government and that of the Republic of Cyprus on 15 January takes full account of the United Kingdom's military and national security requirements. The arrangement is fully consistent with the objectives in the United Kingdom's 1960 Declaration for the effective use of the Sovereign Base areas as military bases; the maintenance of a constructive and co-operative relationship with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus; and the protection of the interests of those resident or working in the areas. HM Government remains determined to work to those objectives, whilst continuing to safeguard our military and national security needs.

Employment: Young People

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to increase employment opportunities for young people in the United Kingdom.

Lord Freud: For the 19th consecutive month, we have seen the youth claimant count reduce, this shows that our approach is working.
	Our Youth Contract, worth nearly £1 billion, builds on the substantial support already available to help unemployed young people enter work. The Contract includes more intensive support for all 18-24 year olds, work experience, sector-based work academy places and wage incentives worth up to £2,275 each, made available to employers who recruit a long term unemployed 18-24 year-old.
	Furthermore, the Work Programme is better designed than our previous employment programmes, and is supporting more people than any previous programme.

Environment: Odour Nuisance

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the guidance issued to local authorities to deal with odour nuisance; and whether there are any plans to update that guidance.

Lord De Mauley: In March 2010 Defra issued Odour Guidance for Local Authorities. Defra is currently reviewing all its environmental guidance to businesses and others as part of the Smarter Environmental Regulation Review. The aim is to reduce unnecessary regulatory
	burdens and ensure that the guidance available is simpler, clearer and more customer focused. The Odour Guidance for Local Authorities will be included in this review.

Food: Flour Fortification

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 21 January (HL Deb, col 567), whether they consider the compulsory addition of folic acid to flour will require parliamentary approval through primary legislation; what arrangements will be made to ensure that non-fortified flour and flour products are available to those who do not wish to ingest added folic acid; and what food fortifications are currently permitted in the United Kingdom.

Earl Howe: The Government has yet to make a decision on introducing mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid. If a decision is made to proceed with fortification of flour with folic acid, following a full public consultation, it would probably be enacted through amendment of the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny procedures for secondary legislation.
	The scope of fortification of bread and flour with folic acid is one of the issues being considered by the Government. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) considered the impact of exempting wholemeal flour from mandatory fortification with folic acid and concluded that it would have little effect on neural tube defect affected pregnancy risk but would reduce the numbers of people with intakes of folic acid above the upper limit per day.
	The United Kingdom currently requires fortification of bread with calcium, iron, niacin and thiamin. European Union legislation permits the voluntary fortification of all foods other than unprocessed foods and alcoholic beverages (except tonic wine) and specifies the minimum permitted levels of fortificants that must be present as well as labelling requirements.

Government Departments: Asbestos

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of asbestos materials in Ministry of Defence buildings, and in particular of the continued existence of chrysotile asbestos in Ministry of Defence married quarters buildings.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps a register of all buildings, including Service Families' Accommodation, that are
	known to contain asbestos. These buildings are inspected regularly in accordance with statutory guidelines as part of the MOD asbestos management plan.

Government Departments: Payroll Services

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which companies provide the outsourced payroll services for each Government Department.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: This information is held by Departments.

Health: Polio

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of violence against immunisers in Nigeria on polio eradication in Africa and on public health worldwide.

Baroness Northover: Since 1988 the number of polio cases worldwide has decreased by more than 99%, from 350,000 to 389 in 2013. There were 53 confirmed polio cases in Nigeria in 2013, a reduction from 122 cases in 2012. The UK supports the Global Polio Eradication initiative (GPEI) which works closely with non-governmental organisations, community groups and religious leaders to improve awareness about polio and to negotiate access to insecure areas, to ensure health workers are safe and vulnerable children are vaccinated. In addition to the UK’s support to GPEI, DFID has supported efforts in Nigeria to improve the security of vaccine workers by addressing the root causes of vaccine non-compliance and building community trust.

Holocaust

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the statement by the Hungarian ambassador to the United Nations marking the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust and recognising the failure of the Hungarian authorities at the time to protect Jewish and Roma people.

Baroness Warsi: The British Government welcomes Hungary’s commitment to address and eliminate anti-Semitism and all forms of racism, which has been demonstrated by organising the event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust at the UN on 23 January, and dedicating 2014 as Holocaust Memorial year in Hungary. These are significant opportunities to tackle anti-Semitism and to reflect upon and learn from the past.
	The UK and Hungary will work together against anti-Semitism through our forthcoming chairmanships of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Houses of Parliament: Scrutiny Override

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each government department, from January to June 2013, (1) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Lords was overridden, (2) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Commons was overridden, and (3) in respect of how many documents an override occurred in (a) both Houses or (b) either House.

Baroness Warsi: The Government respects the scrutiny reserve resolutions of both Houses of Parliament and continues to work closely with the European Union Scrutiny Committees in each House to avoid breaching these wherever possible. When an override occurs the Government will continue to account for its actions in writing to the Chairs of the Scrutiny Committees. Between January – June 2013, a total of 526 Explanatory Memoranda were deposited with only 28 overrides. Fast-moving Common Foreign and Security Policy sanctions and restrictive measures remained the single largest override category, accounting for 23 of the 28. While this is of course regrettable, the Government is pleased to note that the trend in overall numbers has been downward since 2010.
	The figures requested are set out in the table below:
	
		
			 Department (1). House of Lords Override (2). House of Commons override (a). No. of overrides in both Houses (b). Total no. of overrides 
			 Cabinet Office (Office of National Statistics) 0 1 0 1 
			 Department of Business, Innovation and Skills 1 1 1 1 
			 Department of Health 0 1 0 1 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 23 21 21 23 
			 HM Treasury 1 2 1 2 
			  25 26 23 28

Insurance: Elderly People

Baroness Pitkeathley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to promote the development by the insurance industry of products to cover the cost of long-term care for older people.

Earl Howe: The Dilnot Commission on Long Term Care sought to define a new partnership between the individual and the State, with both contributing towards the cost of care and support. We believe that the financial services industry could and should be doing more to help people meet the costs of their care. That is why we have been working with industry and have committed to continue working with them through a joint statement of intent, published on 21 January, to support the development of the market.

Intelligence Services

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 15 January (WA 24), what action a person can take to correct any erroneous information about him or her that he or she has reason to believe may have been passed to a United Kingdom intelligence service by the Israeli intelligence service.

Baroness Warsi: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on matters of intelligence. However, if someone believes they have grounds to make a complaint or a claim against any of the Intelligence Agencies or public authorities vested with investigatory powers, the appropriate forum for bringing such a complaint or claim is the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).

International Youth Foundation

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the International Youth Foundation.

Baroness Northover: There has not been any assessment undertaken of the International Youth Foundation, a US organisation that does not receive DFID funding.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the administration of the refugee camps in east Jerusalem; and what action they are taking to help end the strike by staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Baroness Northover: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) West Bank Field Office has been able to maintain a number of critical operations during the strike. The UK Government supports UNRWA’s attempts to find a solution to the dispute and we have raised this issue with the Palestinian Authority at the highest level.

Kenya

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they are contributing funds to a memorial in Kenya to victims of the Mau Mau emergency.

Baroness Warsi: On 6 June 2013 the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), informed Parliament that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office would settle the Mau Mau claims brought by Leigh Day on behalf of 5,228 Kenyans involved in the Mau Mau uprising. This settlement included a commitment to support construction of a memorial in Nairobi to the victims of torture and ill-treatment during the colonial era. The memorial will aim to promote reconciliation.

Kenya

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the proposed memorial in Kenya to victims of the Mau Mau emergency will include all the victims or one particular group.

Baroness Warsi: The UK is working with the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, the Mau Mau War Veterans Association, the Nairobi Governor’s Office, and the National Museums of Kenya to facilitate the construction of a suitable memorial in Nairobi to the victims of the Emergency Period, as agreed under the settlement reached with Leigh Day. The exact design is yet to be agreed. We will want to make sure it is as inclusive as possible to promote reconciliation.

London Underground: Signalling

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Transport has estimated any additional costs resulting from the recent cancellation by London Underground of the plan to re-signal the Circle, District and Metropolitan lines; and whether they consider there are likely to be delays in meeting the December 2018 deadline as a result of the cancellation.

Baroness Kramer: Under devolution the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) are
	responsible for London Underground, including delivery of the Tube Upgrade programme and related cost estimates. TfL issued a Press Release on 31 December announcing that the signalling contract for the Circle, District, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines would be re-let, and that the original delivery timetable of 2018 currently remains unchanged.

NHS: Clinical Commissioning Groups

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many clinical commissioning groups have implemented the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standards; and in what areas.

Earl Howe: NHS England has informed us that the information requested is not collected centrally.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to address the current deficit in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East budget; and if so, what they are.

Baroness Northover: The UK provides £106.5m to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) General Fund from 2011-15. The UK is also providing £28.9m to UNRWA for food security and schools in Gaza, and £23.5m to Palestinian refugees affected by the Syria crisis across the region.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Baroness Northover: The UK Government believes that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) plays a critical role in providing services for and maintaining the rights of Palestinian refugees, pending a political solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. UNRWA’s Medium Term Strategy for 2016-21 will set out how the agency will operate in the context of growing needs and financial constraints, under the leadership of the new Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl.

Pakistan

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the sentencing of Muhammad Asghar to death for blasphemy.

Baroness Warsi: I am deeply concerned by the death sentence issued in the case of Muhammad Asghar, a vulnerable British national who has a history of mental illness. It is our longstanding policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. On Monday evening I spoke to the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, and I will continue raising Mr Asghar’s case in the strongest possible terms with the Pakistani government as are officials here and in Islamabad. We are working hard to continue to provide consular support to Mr Asghar - to ensure he is being properly looked after and has proper and swift access to legal advice in appealing this sentence.

Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider Palestinians living in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon to have refugee status.

Baroness Northover: The UK Government is a signatory to the UN General Assembly Resolution 302(IV) of 8 December 1949 which established the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and set out its mandate. The UK government considers Palestinians registered with UNWRA to be refugees.

Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that women receive the correct state pensions.

Lord Freud: The provisions for individuals' state pensions entitlement are set out in primary and secondary legislation. This will be the case for the new single-tier pension and the change to state pension age. The delivery of the state pension reforms through HM Revenue & Customs and Department for Work and Pensions systems will be designed to ensure that people receive their correct entitlement.
	A core aim of our communication strategy will be to ensure that people have information about the changes and how they may be affected.
	The Department for Work and Pensions monitors accuracy by carrying out regular detailed case examinations to check the accuracy and monetary value of error of benefits, including State Pension, to ensure that both women and men are receiving their correct entitlement. A Department for Work and Pensions Quality Assurance Framework which will provide an aligned quality and checking methodology is also currently under development.

Planning

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they expect local planning authorities to plan to meet local housing needs; what respective weight they expect local planning authorities to give (1) to local housing shortages, and (2) to stimulating the local economy to reduce unemployment; and what approach local planning authorities should take when there is a very low level of unemployment.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to assess objectively their housing need requirements for market and affordable housing, and to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites for five years worth of housing against their housing requirements. When assessing housing need, councils should consider an appropriate range of issues, which could include housing shortages and local economic conditions.
	We recently produced draft national planning practice guidance on assessing development needs, including housing, which is available at http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/. The final version will go live following consideration of comments received during the test phase.

Post-2015 Development Framework

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to include food and nutrition security in the United Nations post-2015 development framework.

Baroness Northover: The Government is prioritising food and nutrition security in the post 2015 development framework. We have already developed a set of global goals consistent with the recommendations of the Report of the High- Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, published in 2013 and the Zero Hunger Challenge of the UN
	Secretary General. The Government continues to work with international partners in developing and refining these goals.

Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to include a robust gender mainstreaming goal in the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals.

Baroness Northover: The UK has been clear in its advocacy for a standalone post-2015 goal on gender equality and girls’ and women’s empowerment as well as ensuring that these issues are mainstreamed in the goals and targets in the framework to be agreed by the United Nations.
	We are working with others across the international community, including civil society, to ensure that this is achieved.

Prisoners: Suicide and Murder

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to reduce the suicide and murder rates in prisons in England and Wales.

Lord Faulks: The Government is committed to reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths and homicides in prisons and strenuous efforts are made to learn from them to help prevent further deaths.
	All apparent homicides in prison are subject to a police investigation, an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and a Coroner’s inquest. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will carefully consider the findings and recommendations from the investigations and disseminate the learning from them.
	All prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harming themselves or others and to reduce that risk. The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process is a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system to support prisoners identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm. A Cell Sharing Risk Assessment (CSRA) is undertaken for all prisoners to determine their risk of seriously assaulting or potentially killing a cell mate.
	NOMS takes the responsibility of keeping staff, prisoners and visitors safe extremely seriously and are currently rigorously reviewing the management of violence in prisons with a view to introducing further improvements to ensure prisons are safer places for everyone.

Prisoners: Suicide and Self-harm

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to reduce the incidence of suicide and self-harm among male prisoners.

Lord Faulks: The Government is committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in prisons and every effort is made to learn from them to help prevent further deaths.
	All prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process provides a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system for those identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm. The National Offender Management Service collates and disseminates learning from deaths and Prisons are also required to ensure that they have procedures in place to apply learning locally to prevent future deaths.
	The ACCT system is designed to ensure that all prisoners are managed in a way that is responsive to individual needs and risks, including those related to gender. An analysis of suicide and self-harm by gender is included in the Safety in Custody Statistics Bulletin, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety- in-custody-statistics.

Public Records: Colonial Documents

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to include professional historians and archivists in the process of declassifying and releasing to the National Archives documents related to Britain’s colonial past held at HMG Communications Centre at Hanslope Park and to ensure that the process is conducted with all deliberate speed.

Baroness Warsi: Professional historians and archivists are involved in the process of declassifying and releasing material related to Britain's colonial past to the National Archives. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) archive records are held by the FCO rather than the Government Communications Centre. These records are housed primarily in FCO premises at Hanslope Park. A smaller proportion of archive records are held in other FCO buildings. Documents relating to Britain’s colonial past form part of the FCO’s special collections, which consist of files outside the standard sequence of departmental and overseas post files. The special collections are estimated to contain 600,000 files, although not all of these files were created in the colonial period. As the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) explained in a Written Ministerial Statement on 12 December 2013,
	Official Report column 55WS, our aim is to prioritise material from these legacy records which is likely to be of greatest public interest and to release this over a 6 year period. An overview of our release plan is available at www.gov.uk/archive-records.
	The FCO’s Archive Management Team, which includes specialist records managers, is responsible for the preparation of FCO archive files for transfer to The National Archives (TNA). This includes the selection of files suitable for permanent preservation under the guidance and supervision of TNA, and the sensitivity review of these files.
	The FCO’s sensitivity reviewers, who are primarily former senior diplomats, use their extensive knowledge and experience of diplomatic work to determine whether material being reviewed for release remains sensitive and should be therefore be withheld for a specified period under Freedom of Information Act exemptions. This includes material which, if released, would damage the UK’s international relations. In practice, we estimate that the FCO only withholds around 1% of material being prepared for transfer to TNA.
	The FCO’s applications for redaction (blocking of words and sentences) and for file closure or retention are subject to scrutiny by the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Council on National Records and Archives. The Advisory Council is chaired by the Master of the Rolls and its membership is made up of professional historians, archivists and academics. The terms of reference of the Advisory Council and a list of its members are provided on the TNA website. In addition, Professor Badger, Paul Mellon Professor of American History and Master of Clare College Cambridge, will provide independent oversight of the FCO’s special collections release programme. Professor Badger has made a statement about his role as Independent Reviewer of the special collections on the website at: www.gov.uk/archive-records.
	A second FCO Records Day is planned for 9 May 2014 following a similar event held in 2013. This will be a further opportunity for interested historians to discuss the Special Collections and other archive records issues with FCO officials who are responsible for the management and release of FCO archive records.

Railways: Crossrail

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are working to establish any benefits of extending Crossrail to Reading.

Baroness Kramer: The Department for Transport has carried out an initial evaluation of the possibility of extending some terminating Crossrail services from Maidenhead to Reading and, over the coming months, the Department and Transport for London as Joint Sponsors of the Crossrail project will be carrying out further detailed evaluation of this proposal.
	The Department remains focussed on the delivery of the core Crossrail scheme that will see services terminate at Maidenhead at the Western end of the route.

Railways: InterCity East Coast Franchise

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many potential bidders sought to pre-qualify for the Intercity East Coast replacement franchise.

Baroness Kramer: 15 companies expressed an interest in the InterCity East Coast competition. Following extensive market engagement 3 potential bidders sought to pre-qualify.

Roads: Litter

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will arrange for the Highways Agency to extend the use of electronic warning signs against littering from vehicles, including to the A14 trunk road.

Baroness Kramer: The Highways Agency is committed to improving road safety and the use of Variable Message Signs (VMS) is seen to be a useful tool in helping to influence driver behaviour.
	The Agency has been trialling the effectiveness of anti-litter messages on its VMS as part of a number of trials and these have been run in the East Midlands, North West and on the M25 to date.
	Once it has been determined which of the anti-litter messages has been most effective, the intention is to use the appropriate legend nationwide as part of any future anti-littering activity, where the operability of the VMS allows.

Roads: Motorway Service Stations

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact on the number of deaths and injuries of the opening of a motorway service station selling alcohol; and whether they intend to take any steps to stop further licensed premises being opened on motorways.

Baroness Kramer: The Licensing Act 2003 bans the sale of alcohol at certain motorway service areas (MSAs) but does not extend to all of them. At MSAs which are not covered by this Act, the granting of
	premise licences for the sale and consumption of alcohol is a matter for the local licensing authority. The Government is not consulted on the decisions made by these authorities and any advice on road safety matters is provided by the police.
	The Government included MSAs as part of the public consultation on the Alcohol Strategy in 2012/13. The Government’s response to this consultation was published in July 2013 and stated that this issue would be considered further.
	We also record and scrutinise the number of drink driving casualties across Great Britain.

Shipbuilding

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 23 January to question HL4743 (WA 166), whether he will now answer the question which was asked.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: I refer my noble Friend to my answer of 23 January where I outlined that the Government has already allocated £13 million of Regional Growth funding to the Solent Futures project which will provide significant support to the local shipbuilding sector. The Solent Maritime Forum is considering what further action and support is needed for Solent to maintain its maritime heritage and drive growth locally in this important sector. The Minister for Portsmouth will review the Forum’s findings when it reports back in March. This report will also feed into Solent Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP’s) Strategic Economic plan and any identified funding requirements can be considered as part of the LEP's bid into the £2billion per annum Local Growth Fund in competition with other LEPs.

Shipping: Maritime Training

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help newly qualified maritime officers obtain their first place of employment.

Baroness Kramer: The Department for Transport is considering a number of options to ensure that additional funding for the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) is utilised in the best manner. The reinstatement of part of SMarT 2 which funds training towards a higher management level certificate is part of that consideration. Once fully qualified, UK higher level certificate holders are highly sought after in the global maritime sector.

Shipping: Maritime Training

Lord Radice: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the quality of the sea training experienced by maritime officer cadets on board ships in the United Kingdom tonnage tax scheme.

Baroness Kramer: The requirements for shipboard training experience is set out in three ways:
	1. Marine Guidance Note (MGN) 455, which prescribes the arrangements for training including the appointment of a Designated Shipboard Training Officer (DSTO) and the requirements for vessel type and flag;
	2. (The Training Itself) - The Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) approved training programme as evidenced by the Trainee Record Book (TRB) which lays down the need for cadets to gain practical experience in various aspects of seamanship;
	3. This sits alongside the syllabus for training as per the requirements of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention.

Somaliland

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the extent to which the United Kingdom’s intervention in Somaliland has achieved a more stable and prosperous region, and in particular (1) the recognition of the authority of state institutions, (2) an increase in the proportion of the population perceiving improved security, (3) the country’s finances being managed on equable geographic and clan grounds, and (4) the achievement of a sustainable fiscal environment.

Baroness Warsi: The UK is committed to the development of stability and prosperity in Somaliland and the wider region.
	The Somaliland Development Fund, supported by the UK, supports this effort by improving delivery of key public services through transparent and accountable systems, underpinned by public financial management and wider public sector reform. The Somaliland Administration now has in place a plan to improve its public financial management and increase budget transparency. The UK is also supporting the development of the private sector, and planning a new programme to enable the Somaliland Administration to increase revenue generation in the long-term.
	The UK is also working with the Somaliland Administration to build its capacity in counter terrorism in an effective manner, compliant with legal and human rights obligations, and to strengthen border and aviation security. There has not been a major terrorist attack in Somaliland since 2008.
	In our engagement with the Somaliland Administration, we have consistently underlined the importance the UK places on equitable development across the whole of Somaliland, including via the Somaliland Development Fund.
	The UK has also consistently encouraged and supported dialogue between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia, hosting in June 2012 the first face to face talks since Somaliland’s declaration of independence. We welcome and support the ongoing dialogue between the two parties facilitated by Turkey.

Somaliland

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the extent to which the United Kingdom's intervention in Somaliland has achieved improved and better-resourced core state functions, and in particular (1) improvements in access to basic services, (2) increased employment levels, (3) budget transparency and accountability including pro-poor allocation, and (4) increased awareness of service delivery and budget improvements amongst the media and civil society.

Baroness Warsi: We are working with the Somalilanders to improve healthcare, water provision, roads, the environment, help for farmers, education, and the rule of law. We have improved maternal health, newborn and child health, and nutrition levels. For example, more than 4,300 children under five have been inoculated against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.
	Department for International Development (DfID) support to the Somaliland Administration has helped create 23,000 long-term jobs, and 105,000 days of paid work for people, as well as helping to create the right environment for business.
	UK assistance has enabled the Somaliland Administration to develop its own strategy for improving the management of public finances, which includes work on budget transparency, accountability and oversight, and the process for determining budget allocations.
	Through the DfID health programme in Somaliland, communities have been mobilised to increase their access to, and use of, health services. This includes activities to generate awareness of preventive measures to improve health, as well as awareness on when and where to access to treatment that may be required. We also capitalise on major events to encourage media interest in service delivery.

South Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the role the Sudan Troika of the United Kingdom, the United States and Norway has played, both in the negotiations between the parties in South Sudan and in international meetings outside South Sudan.

Baroness Warsi: The Troika has played an influential role in engaging with both parties to press for a negotiated resolution to the conflict. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
	Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and his US and Norwegian counterparts have coordinated their efforts in urging all parties to an immediate cessation of violence and been strong advocates of the mediation efforts led by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). All three Troika countries sent senior officials to Juba at an early stage in the conflict, and have maintained this high level of engagement both in South Sudan and in the region.
	The UK’s Envoy for the South Sudan has been active with his Troika counterparts in facilitating dialogue, including through travelling to South Sudan for direct talks with Riek Machar in support of IGAD’s outreach to both parties. The Envoys have engaged both parties at the talks in Addis Ababa to encourage them to reach agreement on the cessation of hostilities agreement, and are now providing a supporting role in establishment of the IGAD-led monitoring mechanism which is intended to oversee its implementation. The Under-Secretary of State, my Hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) discussed with his US and Norwegian counterparts the importance of a coordinated response to the situation in South Sudan while attending the African Union Summit in Ethiopia. He also spoke with the South Sudanese Foreign Minister, stressing the need for a lasting peace in the country.

South Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the contribution of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development to the talks on South Sudan; and what is their assessment of the neutrality of that body.

Baroness Warsi: We strongly support the decision made at the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Summit of 27 December to appoint mediators that have extensive regional experience and established relationships with all parties. In discussions with regional leaders, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) have continued to stress the importance of neutrality in bringing both sides to the negotiating table. We welcome the fact that both parties have accepted the role of the mediators, and that these discussions led to the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement in Addis Ababa on Thursday 23 January.
	We are clear that this is only the beginning of a peace process, and there has not yet been an end to the fighting on the ground. We continue to support the efforts of the IGAD mediators and other international actors by urging all parties to abide by the cessation of hostilities agreement and to begin to engage on a broader political process.

South Sudan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their diplomatic role in relation to a new peace agreement in South Sudan.

Baroness Warsi: We have been in regular contact with local and regional leaders since the outbreak of violence, supporting the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-led mediation efforts. As part of Troika, the UK has played an influential role in engaging with both parties to press for a negotiated resolution to the conflict. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and his US and Norwegian counterparts, have urged all parties to commit to a cessation of hostilities without preconditions. All three Troika countries sent senior officials to Juba at an early stage in the conflict, and have maintained this high level of engagement both in South Sudan and in the region.
	The UK’s Envoy for the South Sudan talks has been active with his Troika counterparts in facilitating dialogue, including through travelling to South Sudan for direct talks with Riek Machar in support of IGAD’s outreach to both parties. The Envoys have engaged both parties at the talks in Addis Ababa to encourage them to reach agreement on the cessation of hostilities agreement, and are now providing a supporting role in establishment of the IGAD-led monitoring mechanism which is intended to oversee its implementation. The UK will continue to play a very active diplomatic role in the development and implementation of the political process that needs to follow the cessation of hostilities. These objectives formed the basis of the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds)'s discussions with the Kenyan Ethiopian, Ugandan, Sudanese, South Sudanese Foreign Ministers, the AU Commission Chairperson, and the Head of the UN Mission to South Sudan during the recent AU Summit in Ethiopia.

South Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recruitment of child soldiers by the White Army in South Sudan; what are the command structures of the Army; who they consider controls it; and what they consider can be done to disarm it.

Baroness Warsi: The so-called White Army is an amalgamation of disparate community-based forces with wide-ranging motivations including ethnic rivalry and political grievances. It does not have a command structure in the conventional military sense and has no clear single commander. Various claims have been made during the recent conflict about the political affiliation and command of groups of Nuer youth, described as the White Army by some commentators and political leaders, but evidence to support these claims is limited.
	We do not currently have direct evidence of active recruitment of child soldiers by armed groups, but we judge that it is highly likely to have taken place. It will take some time following the cessation of hostilities to assess the humanitarian impact on South Sudan’s children, and whether any resurgence of child recruitment may have taken place.
	The Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed on 23 January should apply to all those groups involved in the recent conflict, including those groups who have
	been described as the White Army. We expect the demobilisation and disarmament of irregular forces will be important questions for the political negotiations that are expected to resume on 7 February. It is vital that the needs of any children recruited during the conflict are specifically addressed as part of any disarmament and demobilisation process.

Special Educational Needs

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of cat ownership in the provision of therapy for people with special needs.

Earl Howe: No assessment has been made of the role of cat ownership in the provision of therapy for people with special needs.

Teachers

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 22 January (HL Deb, col 145) regarding the number of male and female teachers in state primary and secondary schools, what action they intend to take to attract more men into the teaching profession; and whether they support a target figure of 45 per cent presence.

Lord Nash: The quality of teachers is the single most important factor in determining how well pupils achieve. Last year’s intake of postgraduate trainee teachers was the highest quality ever, reflecting the introduction of School Direct and the increased freedoms and powers for teachers introduced by this Government. Men now comprise 21% of primary trainees, the highest on record; and 38% of secondary trainees.
	The Initial Teacher Training Census 2013 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/260849/Main_Text_-_SFR49-2013.pdf

Teachers and Teaching Assistants

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 22 January (HL Deb, col 145) regarding the number of male and female teaching assistants in state primary and secondary schools, what action they intend to take to attract more men to a career as a teaching assistant; and whether they support a target figure of 45 per cent presence.

Lord Nash: The recruitment of teaching assistants is a matter for individual school employers, not the Government.

Transforming Rehabilitation

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what system will be put in place in order for probation staff to produce risk assessments of current cases prior to their allocation to either the National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company under the Transforming Rehabilitation plans; and what the timeframe for any such system will be.

Lord Faulks: Public protection is at the heart of our reformed system and is of primary consideration in our plans to transfer cases to the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies.
	Responsibility for the probation caseload transfers to the National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) on 31 May 2014.
	The majority of cases will transfer into the new structure with the current case manager. Those cases that do need to be transferred to a different case manager will be transferred in a way which maintains both continuity of supervision and ensures public protection. There is no requirement to do this by the point of NPS and CRC split where it is felt that, to do so, may compromise public protection and risk management.
	Where offenders are subject to a Risk Management Plan (RMP), we have issued clear guidance to probation trusts stating that the RMP must be updated prior to transfer and the new officer must familiarise themselves with the RMP. Offenders assessed as presenting low risk of serious harm are not required to have a RMP.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having with the government of Uganda and its development partner companies, particularly those registered in the United Kingdom, on putting in place transparent and accountable institutions and procedures for managing the emerging oil sector in Uganda.

Baroness Northover: Her Majesty’s Government has regular and ongoing discussions with the Government of Uganda on issues of transparency and accountability, including in the oil sector. Uganda has pledged to sign up to the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) following the enactment of the Public Financial Management Bill.
	We encourage all companies involved in the oil sector in Uganda to become corporate supporters of EITI standards. We welcome the public expressions of support for transparency and accountability that have been made by British companies with an interest in the oil sector in Uganda.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the degree of transparency in the Ugandan oil sector.

Baroness Northover: The Government of Uganda has passed upstream and midstream petroleum bills, which include provisions for information sharing and Parliamentary oversight.
	Uganda has pledged to sign up to the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) following the enactment of the Public Financial Management Bill.
	Her Majesty’s Government places high value on membership of the EITI and has had regular and ongoing discussions with the Government of Uganda on this issue.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had, or are having, with the government of Uganda over that country joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Baroness Northover: Uganda has pledged to sign up to the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) following the enactment of the Public Financial Management Bill. Her Majesty’s Government places high value on membership of the EITI and has had regular and ongoing discussions with the Government of Uganda on this issue.

UK Honours

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people who are not British citizens have been given honorary awards in the past ten years (1) by year, and (2) by country.

Baroness Warsi: The table below records the number of foreign nationals and nationals of Commonwealth countries of which Her Majesty the Queen is not Head of State who have received honorary awards in the past 10 years. Nationals of countries of which The Queen is Head of State (Realms) receive substantive (ie not honorary) awards. This information is taken from Foreign and Commonwealth Office records.
	
		
			 Country 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 USA 13 26 14 11 7 15 10 7 10 11 
			 Rep of Ireland 12 13 6 6 5 5 9 6 7 9 
			 Belgium 5 1   1 1 1 1  2 
			 France 37 8 10 5 5 6 2 5 3 8 
			 Austria 1 1 1
			 Italy 5 11 3 2 1  2   1 
			 Kuwait 1  1   1   15  
			 South Korea 4   1 1 214 
			 Sweden 1 2 1 2   2 1   
			 Israel 1  2  2 2 2
			 Japan 4 5 5 1 3 2 3 7 4 3 
			 Ghana 2  1 1   1
			 UAE 2  3   14 
			 Saudi Arabia 1  
			 Spain 4 3 1 1  2 1   3 
			 Netherlands 3 7 3 3 2 2 1 1  4 
			 Germany 10 6 6 5  1 4  2  
			 India 1 1 7  6 2 5 2 1  
			 Mauritius 1 1 
			 Denmark 4  2   1 1  1  
			 Switzerland 1  2 1   
			 Argentina 2 1  1   
			 Pakistan 3  1  1 1  3   
			 Nigeria 2  1 1   
			 Nepal 1   3 3 1 
			 Portugal 2 1 1 2 1  
			 Greece 2  1  11  
			 Turkey 21   1 1  
		
	
	
		
			 Brazil 2  1  1 1 
			 Iraq 1  1
			 Philippines 1   1   
			 Malaysia 2  3 2   2 1 1  
			 Qatar 1  2
			 Tunisia 1  
			 Yemen 1  1 1   
			 Kenya 1 1   1  
			 Hungary 11  1   1 
			 Vanuatu 1  
			 Jordan 1 1 1  3  1  1  
			 Russia 2 2 1 3  1 
			 Poland 9 1 
			 Finland  1 2 1 1  
			 Uruguay  1 1  1   1   
			 Malta  31 
			 Singapore  1 1  1  
			 Syria  1 
			 Norway  1   1  1  1  
			 Bangladesh  1 1 11   
			 Taiwan   1  1  
			 Mexico  3 5   1   1  
			 Morocco  1   1   1 1  
			 Serbia   4
			 Thailand   2 1   
			 Romania   1
			 Palestine   2
			 Colombia   1
			 Estonia   1  1  
			 Lithuania   1
			 Latvia   1
			 Mozambique1   
			 Gambia11   
			 Paraguay1   
			 South Africa1 1  2   2 
			 Haiti1   1
			 Slovakia1   
			 Tanzania1   
			 Bosnia1   
			 Montenegro1   
			 Chile 1  1
			 Bulgaria 1  
			 Libya 1 4 
			 Sri Lanka 4 1 
			 Lebanon 1  
			 Indonesia   2  15  
			 China   2
			 Oman   1
			 Sudan1   
			 Mali1   
			 Peru1  1 
			 Egypt1 1 1 
			 Czech Rep 1  
			 Senegal 1  
		
	
	
		
			 Iran  1 
			 Bahrain  1 
			 Guyana  1

Universal Credit

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost per year, once universal credit is fully rolled out, of awarding the second earner, in a household where a couple are both in work, a second earner’s work allowance of (1) £100 a month, and (2) £50 a month.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost per year, once universal credit is fully rolled out, of increasing, for households with responsibility for a child or young person, by (1) £100 a month, and (2) £50 a month, (a) the lower work allowance of a single claimant with limited capability for work, (b) the higher work allowance of a single claimant with limited capability for work, and (c) the lower work allowance of a couple where one has limited capability for work; and what estimate they have made of the cost of increasing by (1) £150 a month, and (2) £100 a month, the lower work allowance of a couple where both have limited capability for work.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost per year, once universal credit is fully rolled out, of increasing, for households without responsibility for a child or young person, (1) the lower work allowance of a single claimant with limited capability for work by £50 a month, (2) the lower work allowance of a couple where one has limited capability for work by £50 a month, and (3) the lower work allowance of a couple where both have limited capability for work by (a) £150 a month, and (b) £100 a month.

Lord Freud: Entitlement to Universal Credit is based on an assessment of household rather than individual circumstances. We believe that investing in higher work allowances that benefit all households, rather than adding complexity by creating another work allowance for second earners, is the right way to ensure that as many households as possible have someone in work, so that work is paying for that household.
	Costs shown do not take account of any impact on work incentives, they are rounded to nearest £50 million and are in 2014/15 prices.
	The cost per year impact of increasing Universal Credit work allowances for second earners where both members of the couple are in work by a)£100 b) £50 would increase Universal Credit expenditure once fully rolled out by around a) £400 million a year b) £200 million a year.
	Universal Credit is calculated at a benefit unit level so any increase to the work allowance would impact the couple as a whole.
	For households with responsibility for a child or a young person. The steady state annual cost of increasing the lower and higher work allowances by a) £100 b) £50 for a single claimant with limited capability for work; increasing the lower allowance for a couple by a) £100 b) £50 where only one has a limited capability for work and by a) £150 b) £100 for a couple where both have a limited capability for work would increase Universal Credit expenditure, once fully rolled out is a) around £50 million per year, b) less than £10 million per year.
	The costs are relatively low because few people would gain from this change. The claimants concerned will be claiming the higher allowance for a person responsible for one or more children or qualifying young persons prior to the increase to the limited capability work allowance.
	For households without responsibility for a child or a young person. The steady state annual cost of increasing the work allowance by £50 for a single person with limited capability for work or a couple were one has a limited capability for work and by a) £150 b) £100 for a couple where both have a limited capability for work would increase Universal Credit expenditure, once fully rolled out, by a) around £50 million a year b) around £50 million a year.